End-point assessment (EPA)

The introduction of independent end-point assessment (EPA) is one of the biggest changes in the Government’s Apprenticeship Reforms.

End-point assessment is a new way of assuring quality in the apprenticeship system. It replaces the existing model of continuous assessment resulting in qualifications.

Once an apprentice has completed their apprenticeship, they will be ‘signed off’ by their employer as ready for end-point assessment of their knowledge and practical capabilities. In most cases, the assessment will be graded and must show the apprentice is fully competent and productive in the occupation.

The registered assessment organisation and the assessor must be independent of, and separate from, the training provided by the provider and employer.

Once an Apprenticeship Standard is ready to deliver, the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) will list the apprenticeship for tender by potential assessment organisations. Organisations wishing to register for delivering end-point assessment should respond to the tender. They must prove their capacity to carry out assessments and develop assessment instruments, tests, examinations and assessment centres.

Linden intends to offer this service to it's customers and employers once new standards are available to deliver.

Requirements for end-point assessment are written into the assessment plan for each new Apprenticeship Standard. This is done by groups of employers, known as Trailblazers, who develop the Standards.

The assessment plan will set out the knowledge, skills and behaviours required, together with an outline of the assessment methods to be used, for the end-point assessment. The assessment plan should guide assessment organisations, enabling them to deliver the high-quality and rigorous end-point assessment as designed by the Trailblazer group.

In order to allow individual employers choice over who delivers their EPA, the assessment plan must be ‘organisation-neutral’, which means that it must not name any specific training or assessment organisations.

Examples of different assessment methods include:

For assessing a body of knowledge

Options include:

These could involve multiple-choice tests and be administered on paper or online.